While other official tallies have placed the figure a bit short of that mark, the administration marked the moment during the second Covid summit, reflecting on the pandemic’s devastation on the nation after more than two years.
“One million empty chairs around the dinner table. Each an irreplaceable loss. Each leaving behind a family, a community, and a nation forever changed because of this pandemic,” President Joe Biden said in a statement, adding that he and first lady Jill Biden “pray for each of them.”
“As a nation, we must not grow numb to such sorrow. To heal, we must remember. We must remain vigilant against this pandemic and do everything we can to save as many lives as possible, as we have with more testing, vaccines, and treatments than ever before,” Biden wrote. “It’s critical that Congress sustain these resources in the coming months.”
Biden ordered flags to be flown at half-staff to mark the occasion.
The White House on Thursday is hosting a virtual Global Covid-19…
